Supply Chain Management identified as key to Ghana’s economic transformation

The KNUST School of Business is taking the lead in Supply Chain Management training in the West African Sub-region.

The launch of the West African Institute for Supply Chain Leadership is expected to provide innovative, practical and tailored SCM management education, training and specific research to support enterprise development.

Private and public sector organizations would be supported to become sustainably profitable and service driven to continuously outsmart competition in the chosen markets.

The first inaugural public lecture on Logistics and Supply Chain Management in Ghana has been held at the KNUST.

Founder and CEO of Panavest International, Dr. Douglas Boateng spoke on the theme: “Can Ghanaian and West African Business Executives and Policy Makers continue to Underrate the Strategic importance of Supply Chain Management in today's World?”

According to him, Supply Chain Management is about achieving a balance between total delivered cost and business growth. He notes it is not enough for organizations to focus on procurement, emphasizing direct and indirect application of supply chain management is the way to go in economic transformation.

“Companies have used it, governments are using it. This thing can foster entrepreneurship – entrepreneurship is creating the future conglomerates of Ghana. We need paradigm shift in thinking – through supply chain management, local companies can produce goods and compete”, Mr. Boateng stated.

He believes professionals and academia can help policy makers and industrialists to understand and apply Supply Chain Management to create bigger business entities.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh